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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Belmont University baseball team split a doubleheader with the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Friday, winning the first game, 2-1, before falling in the second contest, 9-8 at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham.
Belmont (12-4) has now played in seven games this season decided by two runs or less, and are 4-3 in those games.
Behind a dominant start from Joshua South (W, 2-0) and yet another save from Kyle Brennan (SV, 8), the Bruins eked out a 2-1 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
South went six strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits while collecting four strikeouts.
Brennan came on to pitch the seventh inning and shut the door by retiring three straight Blazers for the win. The save is Brennan's eighth of the season in nine attempts, which leads the country. The senior closer from Franklin, Tenn., is now one save shy of tying Jon Ivie (2008-11) for the most in program history (26).
The Bruins got six hits in the game from six different players, then relied on South and Brennan to bring them home.
The game marked the eighth time this season when Belmont has held an opponent to one run or fewer.
The second game of the doubleheader featured a handful of lead changes and late-game drama, but UAB held off Belmont for a 9-8 win in the nine-inning affair.
Trailing 9-8 in the ninth inning, the Bruins got their first two hitters aboard with back-to-back walks before Grayson Taylor bunted them over to second and third base.
With the go-ahead run in scoring position, UAB was able to retire two straight Bruins to secure the win.
Belmont out-hit UAB 9-6, and did not commit an error while the Blazers had three, but the Bruins walked a season-high ten batters to allow the home team to hang in the game.
The Bruins jumped ahead 2-0 with a bases-loaded two-RBI single from Jack Capobianco in the second inning, and led 6-2 after plating four runs with two outs in the fourth inning on a two-RBI double from Shacklett and a two-RBI single from Crider.
UAB stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, getting a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam to take the lead, 7-6.
Belmont rallied in a big way in the sixth inning, with Guy Lipscomb getting on base after being hit by a pitch before stealing both second and third base. Lipscomb now has 15 stolen bases this season, the second-most in the country.
Shacklett singled through the right side to score Lipscomb and tie the game, before the Bruins took the lead on a failed pickoff that turned into an error, allowing Shacklett to come home and give Belmont an 8-7 advantage.
UAB took the lead for good in the seventh inning, getting a two-RBI single from Darryl Buggs, who hit the grand slam earlier in the game.
Belmont used five pitchers in the game, while UAB featured six different arms. Dusty Baird (L, 0-1) took the loss in relief.
Belmont will have Saturday off in Birmingham before facing UAB in the series finale on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The game will be streamed on CUSA.tv, and live audio play-by-play will be carried on the Bruin Sports Network.
